Flawless: A Relentless Series Novel (The Relentless Series Book 4)

by Alyson Reynolds

  Gripping the banister as I walked down the stairs, I noticed a few pairs eyes turn my way. One pair I didn’t miss, was Adam’s gorgeous brown eyes. He looked the perfect all American boy with his light brown hair and perfect smile. Why did all the men I was attracted to have the sexiest eyes? My wayward thoughts made me pause. Attracted to? Hell, I had just met Adam. I’d felt a spark, sure, but that was probably just my body letting me know I missed sex.

  Lexi came over and grabbed my arm as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs.

  "‘I have a few people I want you to meet. Let’s go. There are tons of hot men in our apartment tonight and I want you to decide on one to break you out of your dry spell. It’s been six months since you’ve gotten laid."

  "Lexi, it’s only been two since—" A shadow crossed my face and Lexi stopped. "You know what? It’s fine. I’m fine. Please introduce me to your plethora of hot men. Maybe I’ll even pick one. You never know," I said, winking and trying to play along like everything was okay.

  We made our way across the room, stopping to talk to what were admittedly some of the hottest men I had ever seen, let alone been introduced to. Lexi had outdone herself for sure. As we walked up to Adam, a blush started across my cheeks. Lexi turned and grinned excitedly, then looking a little shocked at my flustered face. Adam leaned in and whispered in my ear making me laugh.

  “Good job acting like it never happened.” His breath tickled the nape of my neck.

  Lexi squeezed my arm, a surefire way for her to warn me that there would be an inquisition later. "It looks like the two of you have already met, so I guess I’ll just go get a drink and pick out a man for myself."

  Before Adam could say anything, Lexi turned with a wink and left us alone.

  "She’s insane, but I love her," I said smiling and shaking my head.

  "I’ve known her since our first year in medical school. I agree, she’s totally insane. The first time I met her, she was taking shots, dancing on tables and making bets about how long it would take her to screw one of our professors. It was like watching Grey’s Anatomy in real life."

  I laughed. "Sounds exactly like the Alexis Davenport I know."

  Adam took my arm and led me to the side of the room, away from Lexi’s determined path. "Do you want a drink?"

  "Sure. I’ll walk with you if you don’t mind. Standing around in here with all these men makes me feel like I’m on auction. Lexi could have found a few more women to come."

  He chuckled and it was a dark, rich sound that made my insides melt. "I think she was hedging her bets on finding you a man. I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but Lexi has been singing your praises for quite a while. I feel like I already know you. Is that odd?"

  "No, not really; I feel the same way. I think she might have had an agenda when it came to introducing us.” I smiled. “I think she waited until my divorce was final for a reason."

  A crooked grin covered Adam’s face, making him even more devastatingly handsome. "You know her well. She admitted as much to me.” He stopped and turned to look at me. “The only thing she didn’t tell me was how stunning you are. The first time I saw you, I was floored. I felt like a dick too because here you were lying in a hospital bed and I couldn’t stop staring at you."

  My step faltered. "First time you saw me? Oh. Oh! Why didn’t I put that together sooner?” I put my hand to my head. “Dr. Adam Parker. She always referred to you as Dr. Parker in the hospital, not Adam. When we were at home, she called you by your name."

  He winced. "You didn’t know.” I shook my head and smiled weakly. “It’s probably habit. I actually do the same so I don’t slip up in front of patients. Are you uncomfortable that she called me in to see you that day?"

  "No, not uncomfortable. I’m just slow on the uptake apparently."

  Adam sensed my unease and tried to change the subject. "I’m sorry that your marriage didn’t work out. I divorced a few years ago for similar reasons. My ex-wife didn’t want to follow me across the country for my residency. We tried long distance at first, but when I caught her cheating on me, I knew it had been over for a long time."

  As Adam rested his hand on my bare back, leading me through the crowds of people, I felt a shiver of excitement run its way up my spine. If his hand on my back made me feel this way, what would it be like if he truly touched me? If he kissed me? Ran his tongue along the slope of my neck and cupped my breasts while running his thumbs across my nipples. I had to stop my completely inappropriate thoughts. What was wrong with me? I’d just met the man for goodness sake. The least I could do was wait until he wasn’t around to fantasize about him. My nipples were already getting hard and in this dress it would be completely obvious. I turned my head to search for Lexi, but instead of finding her, I saw someone who definitely wouldn’t be welcome if I had anything to say about it.

  Aaron. Mother fucking Aaron. I absolutely hated him. He encouraged Mason to leave me every chance he got. The asshole was bitter after Violet left him. Every issue that Mason and I had throughout the years was always agitated by his presence. He was always whispering in Mason’s ear. So how did he end up in Lexi’s apartment at her party?

  He gave me a dark look and stopped directly in front of me, morphing his face into a semblance of a smile. He looked more demented than anything.

  "Well, well Emerald, what a pleasant surprise."

  I clutched my hands into fists at my side. "Aaron. You’re never a pleasant surprise. How in all the apartments in New York City did you end up in this one? Lexi hates you even more than I do. And that’s saying something."

  He smirked. "Alexis decided that old childhood rivalries weren’t worth keeping up with into adulthood. I just recently started working at the hospital and she invited me.” Aaron turned towards Adam and thrust his hand out at him “Aaron Stewart. You must be Emerald’s new boyfriend.”

  "Adam Parker," he said shaking Aaron’s hand. I could see Aaron sizing Adam up. "I’m not the new boyfriend, I’m just the lucky guy that gets to talk to her tonight. Emmy, I’m going to go get you that glass of wine. I’ll be right back."

  I nodded and tried to smile at him. He patted my arm comfortingly before walking towards the bar. When he walked away, I turned back to Aaron and glared at him.

  "Aaron, I don’t know if Mason sent you to check up on me or if you have a different motive for being here, but please, just leave me alone. I’m a different person now and I don’t want anything to do with the drama from back home."

  "And just why do you think I would bring drama from back home?" He was such a smarmy douchebag. I wanted to smack that stupid smirk off his face.

  "Because I’ve known you for over twenty years and it’s what you do Aaron. Just tell Mason I said hi and to go fuck himself. Now, you and I have nothing more to say to one another, so if you’ll excuse me." I brushed by Aaron without another look back.

  I didn’t know what Aaron had overheard and I tried to recall exactly what I had said to Adam before the rat had shown up, but I couldn’t remember anything bad. Lexi caught my eye from across the room and I sent her an ‘I’m going to cut you’ look. Shock crossed Lexi’s face. She must have caught sight of Aaron walking away from me because she mouthed the word ‘sorry.’ Adam came back quickly, bringing a large glass of red wine with him.

  Adam smiled at me as he handed me the glass, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment that Aaron was here. It felt like he’d ruined my evening.

  "I’m so sorry about that. I can’t stand that man and I’m fairly certain he had something to do with my divorce. He’s always meddling in other people’s business."

  "Don’t give it another thought."

  “Thank you,” I whispered. He nodded once and started to tell me a story about his brother and how Easter dinner was going to be a fiasco because he planned to bring a date his parents hated, and he planned to propose to her as the ham was being served.

  Adam was great. He was funny, good looking, and the man knew h
ow to dance. Even better, we had awesome conversations all evening. It was easy for him to put me at ease. I had more fun that night then I'd had in a long time. The only issue I had with Adam was that he was too damn sexy and he sent my libido into a tailspin. Every time he brushed against me or pulled me in closer while we were dancing, my body flushed in excitement. I was going to be a hot aching mess by the time the evening was over. I had to keep reining in my dirty thoughts about his large hands and a big something else that I could feel rubbing against me while we danced.

  The ringing phone on my desk pulled me out of my daydream. It was probably someone wanting me to come up with a solution to a stupid problem that wasn’t important anyway. Honestly, most days I was probably the only person around here with a working brain.

  Why was I so damn bitter today?

  Lexi was right about one thing, my dry spell needed to come to an end and soon. I hated that she was right, but after everything I’d gone through over the past year, I deserved some fun. Adam was more than that to me though. I didn't want him to just become someone I flirted with and fucked occasionally. If anything, I wanted to date him and maybe end up looking forward to a future together. Over the past year, he had become one of my best friends and now we were pussyfooting around with a relationship. The idea made me giddy and nervous at the same time. Butterflies seemed to take up permanent residence in my stomach any time he was around. I just hoped it was a sign that good things were coming my way.

  Two months after filing, I was finally starting to feel like myself again. Mason hadn’t disrupted my life since my visit and things were settling down. Even though I was happy with the new life I’d made for myself, it was hard for me to accept that the past ten years of my life had been wasted on a man that couldn't even bother to give me a direct answer of why our marriage was over. I wanted to push and get answers, but the idea was terrifying. The man was a lawyer alright, he talked circles around an explanation over and over again.

  Or maybe that was just an excuse because I was scared of losing the only man I had ever loved. When I’d thought I was already divorced, things had been so much easier. Now there was so much emotional unbalance. The only place I felt like myself was at work because I wouldn’t bring the drama there. At least being CEO gave me things I craved that I wasn’t getting at home. When I was working, I was in control. I was strong. No one messed with me. It was just in my personal life that I was a complete and utter mess.

  I wanted things to progress with Adam because it felt like we had been on hold for so long, but I wasn't sure how to push forward. He seemed to be taking his cues from me, and I wasn't sure how to let him know that I was ready to see where things could go. My worse fear was that this would end up being a rebound relationship and that I would hurt him. It didn't feel like that, but things had been so confusing from the start that it was entirely possible I wouldn't be able to fully open up to Adam the way I wanted and needed to.

  Sex hadn't been on my mind much before my last night with Mason a few months ago, but now it was like I was obsessed. Everywhere I looked, someone was getting laid. Everyone except me. I had a battery operated friend that was getting a workout every night though. Poor Adam was just as sweet as ever, but I sure as hell wasn’t putting out, not with this state of mind. The idea of having sex with Adam made me nervous. Twitchy. I’d never slept with anyone other than Mason. And up until the divorce, I never planned on it, but now things were different.

  Adam and I would get there eventually, but something about confronting Mason had thrown things off kilter in my new world. Adam had waited this long, surely he could last another few more months without getting laid. I shook my head. Shouldn't I want to have sex with my boyfriend? If I could even call him that. Was Adam my boyfriend? He was a great guy and someone I dated regularly, but that seemed like such a juvenile way to describe him. Then there was the tricky line we were riding between doctor, friend, and boyfriend. God, my head was so messed up. It throbbed when I started considering all the variations of my relationship.

  One of my best friends, and the reason I even had my amazing job, was flying through the city for a few days. It had been forever since I’d been able to catch up with Luke and I couldn’t wait to see him. Maybe he could help me figure out all my drama. He’d probably have some interesting theories about why Mason never filed for the divorce too. There was no love lost between those two. They had never gotten along well even though we’d all grown up together. Mason was jealous that I was friends with a guy. It didn’t matter that Luke was as gay as the day was long, Mase just hated that he was part of my inner circle. Plus over the years, he’d helped me out with my career as much as I’d helped him, something Mason hadn’t been able to do. Sometimes being a record executive and having a best friend that was a very talented star had its perks.

  I sat down at the table across from Luke and laughed as I took in his makeshift disguise. He’d grown out a beard since I’d seen him last, probably in hopes that he could leave his apartment at some point. It didn’t look bad, but paired with the oversized aviators and hat pulled down low over his face, he looked obvious.

  “Who do you think you’re hiding from?” I teased.

  He sighed. “Things are even more insane now that James and I officially announced we’re dating. I just need one day of freedom, even looking like this.”

  I gave him a sympathetic look. I knew the perils of being chased by a reporter wanting a story. Hence the whole, not divorced debacle. “I’m sorry hon. How’s James taking it?”

  “Actually, really well. I’m just thankful he hasn’t run for the hills yet. We both know this life is a little hard to take for someone not used to it.”

  “Speaking of that, I have news.” I filled him in on the catastrophe that was my personal life and he laughed when I told him that Mason hadn't filed the divorce papers. Straight up, threw his head back and laughed like a fool.

  “Emmy, that’s typical Mason. Why are you even surprised?”

  “It’s typical Mason that he didn’t file for the divorce?” I asked in disbelief. What the hell? Luke had obviously lost his mind.

  “Think about it, Mason is used to getting what he wants. He wanted you to stay in Savannah and play the good little housewife, so why would he file? You come back, because admit it, you always do, and he convinces you to stay this time.”

  “You aren’t entirely wrong,” I said slowly. “I wouldn’t stay, but he had to have expected I would come home at some point and demand the divorce.”

  Luke raised his eyebrow. “That’s it, you don’t think he expected you to stay?”

  “I don’t know what to think, Luke. All I know is that I’m not divorced yet, and I haven’t been for the past year. And that’s a freaking problem.”

  He reached across the table and patted my hand. “It’ll work itself out, hon. Believe me, when things are right you’ll know. If you and Mason are supposed to work it out, you will. And if you and that delicious doctor are supposed to work, it will, but you can’t force it and you can’t fight it.”

  I was quiet for a few minutes and he told me all about the past few stops on his tour and his new boyfriend, who I adored already. When he asked me how the sex was with Adam, I blushed crimson, smacked his shoulder, and change the subject quickly. At the very least, lunch had made me relax a little and laugh at my drama. Luke had always been good at helping me see the hilarity of any situation. It was one of the best things about our friendship. My life may be screwed up as hell, but at least it was entertaining to all of my friends.

  ***

  “Can’t you pick out something with color once in a while?”

  Lexi wrinkled her nose. “Why?”

  “So you don’t look like you’re going to a damn funeral all the time. Lexi, seriously, you’re depressing as hell to be around sometimes.”

  She pulled the hanger from my hand. “You aren’t much better, pot. This isn’t anything like your normal style.”

  “Answer me
this, why is it that you dress like the undertaker and have bright red, almost fuchsia hair?”

  “I like a limited amount of color in my day.”

  I sighed. “I can’t be a President of a major record label and wear florals all the time. I’m not the president of a sorority anymore, Lexi.”

  She groaned. “Why was college so much easier?”

  “Because all we cared about was having fun and making sure we didn’t flunk out. Life was so much easier back then. No crazy ex-husbands, or jobs that were high stress, high demand. Things were simple.”

  Lexi laughed. “We should have realized how great things were. I feel like I took that for granted. Honestly I don’t think I realized exactly what I’d done going to medical school until the night of my first forty-eight hour rotation.”

  “Maybe we should bring back margarita Wednesday,” I mused.

  “Let’s do it. You buy that dress,” she pointed to a pink number that I secretly loved. “And I’ll make sure that I wear color at least one time this week. Plus, I’ll make sure that someone takes my call for that night so we can get buzzed on margaritas and eat bad Mexican food.”

  “It’s a plan.” I grinned. “But seriously, put down the hanger in your hand. It’s the same shirt you bought last week.”

  She looked down at the shirt. “Holy fuck, it is.”

  We needed an intervention. Neither of us were actually living life, we were both just existing. There was no fun or excitement. Hell, sitting on the couch and watching reruns on Lifetime and eating ice cream from the carton was my entire Saturday night lately.